


So this is on my desk now? Fuck!

by Knit1298



Series: Adam was special [6]
Category: Deus Ex (Video Games), Deus Ex: Mankind Divided
Genre: Character Death Mentioned, Conspiracy, break-in (technically)
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2021-03-19
Updated: 2021-03-19
Packaged: 2021-03-28 09:35:35
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 6,896
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/30137562
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Knit1298/pseuds/Knit1298
Summary: A week after he emptied the apartment at the Hlvani street, Duncan Macready approaches another apartment door that isn't his own....
Series: Adam was special [6]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1425499
Kudos: 5





	So this is on my desk now? Fuck!

Approaching the plain door, Duncan Macready’s gut twisted a bit at the thought of the imminent confrontation with their resident Hanzer-, Aug. He didn’t really know what to expect from this surprise visit, but given their history, given what he had found out over the last few days, in the least they were bound to clash verbally. Too well he knew, physically he’d have no chance against Jensen. Not without disabling those augs first and honestly, Duncan wasn’t sure if that even was possible as easily as those emergency protocol flyers said. Even less with what he had come to suspect were a bunch of hidden extras Jensen had that no one at TF29 knew about. And of course there wasthat rather big question mark whether he really should risk burning any potential bridges to the agent by taking such drastic measures, since he still didn’t know the whole picture. What he knew probably was not even half of it, if he was to believe his gut feeling. 

Seeing under what circumstances Jensen lived at this quarter only had added to the mess. The stark contrast between where Duncan lived and the Zelen building, this whole damn quarter being a lesson in discrimination, oppression and neglect. Now, he was all for keeping Augs under control, but this was way more than that.  
Ringing the bell the newly named director of TF29 Prague inwardly steeled himself. Unneccesarily though, as the door wasn’t even answered. Ringing again. No reaction, no sound, no nothing came from the inside of the top floor apartment. A little angry and frustrated Macready’s fist landed on the door yet instead of the loud pound he had intended and expected, the door lock sprang open with a low crack. Momentarily staring a bit dumbfounded at the open entrance, only now the former soldier spotted the subtle yet distinctive traces of someone having broken the lock open at some point. In an instant his weapon found its way into his hand and cautiously Mac stepped inside. 

After all the disrepair and decay outside, the interior of the apartment was quite a surprise. Duncan really wouldn't have taken Jensen as being one for this antique kind of style but the dark mood definitely was conform to the always black wearing agent. A wooden closet with carvings picturing Greek mythology themes on its doors. Paintings in old fashioned frames. The heavy silver framed mirror was an interesting piece of decoration, sure, though curiously useless since long having gone blind from age. A telescope near the window was pointed towards the sky outside, though Mac really wondered what there was to see with the city lights polluting the nights of Prague, the Palisade Blades alone were one hell of a 24/7 light-show. More pieces of furniture which while not all being real antique at least in their design were inspired by the old classics.  
It was quite a bit messy but from the first impression not looking as if someone had fought in here or searched the rooms for valuables. More like the usual kind of chaos (damn mess) Jensen's desk at TF29 held too. Boxes and paper books stacked onto the floor after the shelves weren't able to hold more. Used cereal bowls left on tables and the kitchen isle and, much to Macready’s suspicion, a rather high amount of strong alcohol, numerous bottles full, empty and in between.  
Checking the premises, no one else was present, neither Jensen nor any intruder. Holstering his weapon for the time being, the new TF29 director took another look through the rooms. He found files piled on the dinner table, rifling through them Duncan couldn’t discern their purpose though. At least it didn’t look like being related to anything at TF29, so for now stealing their secrets didn’t add to the agent’s tab. A lot was data analysis, sheets full with diagrams and numbers, but with just glancing them over he couldn’t make sense what those were about. 

Looking further around Mac honestly was a bit surprised at the sheer number of paper books. Glass readers as well as other forms of digital devices were the trend for years now, yet Jensen had quite a traditional book collection there. Not as many as Jim had owned but the range of topics was similarly broad it seemed, from military tactics over philosophy to science and engineering to leisure reading. Astronomy appeared to be one of the agent’s interests _(should he feel guilty for never having attempted to get to know the agent to maybe learn about that or rather angry for the bastard hiding all of this so efficiently?)_. In addition to the telescope Duncan found a few magazines lying around showing stars and satellites on their covers. Another and even more unexpected hobby seemed to be clock making, at least going from some more magazines lying around interspersed with some old sports illustrated issues. Without those magazines the obviously busy kept workbench filled with tiny cogwheels and tools as well as half done clockworks Duncan found in the bedroom would have worried him even more. Suspecting bomb making or something alike for example. As it was, the obvious evidence of Jensen also building multitools there too, was enough to make the new director quite a bit uncomfortable, unsure once more if he should be impressed or really concerned, which much to his annoyance was becoming a too common theme when it came to learning more about this particular agent it seemed.  
Spotting a few pictures on the wall above the bed’s headboard, Mac stepped closer to take a look. Without having emptied Jim’s loose floorboard stash just recently as he had agreed to clear out the no longer needed flat at the Hlvani street, he most likely wouldn’t have noticed the telltale dip of the wood under his foot. Kneeling down, he decided to take a look at that first. 

In Jim’s stash he had found two weapons and some diaries, rather enlightening diaries. One of the reasons why he had come here in person after all.  
As for Jensen’s secret stash? The biocells and a few credits chip cards were not surprising, yet finding a folder with the TF29 logo was. Jensen’s medical file, a few months old. Not exactly a secret but still odd for the agent to have it. The other documents Mac found there though were way more worrisome. Three different passports he only recognised as fake because he _knew_ them to be false. And then another paper folder, informations about drop sites, contact numbers and instructions. A welcome package from the Juggernaut Collective. _Damn you Jensen!_ For once it didn’t feel that well to have been right from the start. Even if that weird message from a certain 'Q' read as if the agent wasn’t fully on board, this was serious, really damn serious. Mac put the package to his left side, before continuing his search.  
Next he found up was a glass reader put together by some ‘F’, the content more or less supposed to bring Jensen up to speed shortly before he had made his first contact with Interpol. While not really compromising the agent, it was odd that he had needed to be told what had happened after the Incident and curiously, this ‘F’ also described a few details about the events around and since then quite a bit differently than Duncan and the world at large knew them. Another item to put aside for further investigation.  
A secured data reader, Duncan turned it around in his hands a few times before getting up from the floor. After having found the stuff about the Collective contacts, he didn’t have any scruples to use one of Jensen’s own multitools to get access _(not that he really would have had many before)_. 

_Huh, what the hell was this?_  
Old news articles. ‘White Helix’, an American genetic research facility and therapy centre burning down in an accidental fire in the nineties, almost all patients and most of the staff dying. Next to several press articles about the fire there were PR flyers that almost looked like the ones Mac had found in Jim’s apartment. Also from an American therapy centre, there had been leaflets about a new avenue of treatment for Susie, though this Helix facility definitely didn’t look as nice. There also were countless medical files and research data, using codes instead of names. Ancestry tables, and- _what the hell_ , pictures of a dark haired boy at different ages, protocols that read like-. A little confused and eventually remembering his initial reason for coming here, Duncan broke off there. Whatever this was, it was old and not important now.  
The last item he gathered out of the hidden stash was a photo album. A small letter tucked in between the first pages indicated the album had been a birthday gift. 

_Hey handsome stargazer,  
I don't know where you are, your long haired friend wouldn't tell. Hope it is somewhere nice, or not too bad at least. The boys and I miss you, they can't wait to see you again, the tree-house still is unfinished, they won't let anyone else work on it beyond minor repairs. Hope you can get back to us sometime soon. Even if it's just a recording. Just something to know- The next words were unreadable, crossed out. Telling you to stay safe won't do anything good, I know. You two were always just the same in that regard, but please remember to take care of yourself too, okay?  
For us. We don't want to mourn you a second time. Don't forget you have a family waiting for you and we will never stop doing so.  
Feel yourself hugged and cuddled.  
T  
PS: Mr scowl and grumpy helped me to put this together and to get in contact with your parents. Jumping through endless hoops of course, but it was all worth it as you will see inside. Happy Birthday Adam! _

A family waiting for Jensen? Boys and a tree house? Did he have kids without anyone knowing? Not being in contact with them..., Mac thankfully had no children and really no interest for any contact to his ex wives, yet even before having read Jim’s diaries, he had known how much his friend had been struggling to keep in touch with Susie and Ethan due to the time zones, irregular working hours and his ex, Neil, interfering. Yet this now read like there was no direct contact at all, although not for either side not wanting. That detail about mourning, why a second time? ...hugged and cuddled..., pretty difficult to picture that about the generally distant agent there or that anyone would even attempt to hug that killing machine. Fuck, was anything they knew about Jensen actual true to begin with?  
The book held pictures, most of them showing a child, a dark haired boy. Realisation didn’t hit Mac until he found the exact same photograph that had been in those White Helix files. Scrambling for the data reader he had set aside, the photo album slipped out of his grip, a few loose pictures falling out. Picking them up, Mac found scribbling on their backsides, reading like short letters to someone. 

A small dark haired boy sitting on a woven carpet.  
_The nightmares are slowly getting better, lighting a fire helps usually, good it is winter right now, we turn it into playing indoor camping. It is as you said, he doesn't cry. Nor does he talk about that place. I'm just glad he actually still is able to talk at all.  
You warned us of him not knowing any positive close contact, but having him sitting here is different. I want to hug him, to hold him, to comfort him, but I'm afraid he'd not understand, being used to neglect and disinterest. The one time I tried, he was just-, enduring it, indifferent. Neither leaning in, nor flinching away. Just going rigid and yet lifeless, like an object, a puppet, which was even worse than if he had been afraid. Fear, I do know how to handle, but this?_

The boy again in another room, looking through a book.  
_Had to move again. There was someone watching us weirdly at a store. Might be just paranoia, but we promised to keep the little one safe. Progress is slow. It's like his true self is hesitantly waking up after being kept under for so long, timid and afraid of course but also so brave. And curious. At the most simple things. He still is awfully reluctant to explore anything on his own, but I'm glad they haven't been able to take that away from him. There are so many things to learn for him._

A nightly sky, the picture taken from a roof most likely, some tree branches are visible at a corner.  
_Turns out little A loves stars.  
At our new house, the roof was his favourite spot immediately. A farm house this time. He was so excited to be able to watch the stars from there and it really is a humbling view when the sky is clear.  
He likes to be outside a lot. The worst you can do to him is to confine him, even worse to do so in a well lit room. Thought to do him something good by giving him a nice and bright room. Couldn't have been more wrong, it was really awful until Arthur got the gist of what was wrong.  
What child is comforted by darkness? He likes to bath in the warmth of the sun, almost like a cat. But only outside. Inside a well lit room seems to trigger memories and nightmares. Also had to get rid of all the white sheets, the table-wear too, the new colours don't seem to matter to him, as long it's not white. _

The boy again, a bit older, by this point Mac only briefly glanced at the pictures before taking them out of the album, way more interested he was in what short messages were written on the backside.  
_Little A was sick, nothing bad, but they drew his blood. Moved again, just to be sure. An apartment this time. He is getting better, maybe we can send him to school soon, he should have contact to other children.  
Arthur wants to start early, to boost his confidence, fight this weird passivity that still clings to him, so little A is learning martial arts now as hard as it is to make him understand. Once he finally starts to defends himself, it's going to take a lot more of convincing for him to learn to attack too. Can't hurt even a fly, our little stargazer! That's comforting since Arthur predicts he's a natural talent there. Just can't stand the thought of the little one becoming a brute. _

_Have to be careful to watch out for injuries. A still doesn't cry. He apparently fell down a few stairs yesterday yet didn't even think about telling his hand was hurt. He does feel the pain, that's not it. But he doesn't show it. That confusion though... for me calling him out on hiding it.  
I know where he has been, the scars on his chest and arms are too much proof and reminder, they have faded a bit by now but probably will stay with him forever. Still, what did they really do to him at that place for being this sure his pain doesn't matter, that no one cares? My god, how often has he suffered silently since-, I can't even think about that!_

_Moved again. There were people starting to ask too many questions again. The house is a nice one, yet how long do we have this time? Another few month or maybe just weeks? Will we ever be able to really settle somewhere? I'm afraid to make contact to neighbours, but this is the countryside. Keeping to ourselves also raises suspicions. I'm afraid to make friends just to lose them again and what if we endanger them?_

_I'm so glad changing schools so often doesn't affect his education too much, quick learner he is. Sadly that doesn't extend to social aspects. Too timid, too quiet and what else the teachers write in their reviews. Not able to socialise properly. Well, what do they expect, where should he have learned that, with what you told us about that awful place? Can't explain that to them though... He has come so far since the night you arrived at out doorstep with him. But no one can know._

_I'm so happy, A has found friends. Who accept him as he is, just like that. Tom and Tanya, they are great kids. I even have seen the girl hugging little A, without him freezing up. Can you believe that?  
Just how is that possible, the boy, he seems to simply get A. Without words even. He just looks at him and- understands. I was envious at first, since I am at a loss more and more often, but now I'm glad. There is hope he'll overcomes what was done to him. I'm soo happy!! Doesn't he look just like a normal kid there? _  
It's a picture with three kids gathered around a birthday cake. Two boys and a girl. 

_We had to move again. Never was this hard before. A doesn't really show it, but I just know he is devastated for having left his friends behind. Got all quiet again. Reading the books they gave him for his birthday over and over. They were such great kids. I'm so sad we had to go, but his safety is more important._

_The questions A asks, he needs help, but how? It's obvious by now he simply doesn't understand people like others do. It's like he is overwhelmed. Noticing how they look, how they wear themselves down to such great detail you wouldn't believe possible at that age. But at the same time A seems to have no idea what to make of it.  
It like he's looking at a painting, seeing all the colours, the techniques used, down to every stroke of the brush, but at the same time being unable to tell, everything together is a sunflower, or cow or whatever. He asked me what was most important for knowing people's intentions. I said eyes, but how does that really help him? _

_Big A had the adoption papers redone, should raise less suspicions from now on. Still waiting for the right moment to tell little A, but somehow it doesn't come. I'm afraid it'll make everything worse. From what I can tell, he finally forgot what they did to him at that laboratory. I don't want the nightmares coming back. Six years since you brought him to us, he’s come so far in that time. What if he loses what little grounding he has with us? What though, if he finds out we were lying to him? White lies are a concept he doesn't get either._

_Caught him writing T+T today. Arthur and his 'promises are made to be kept'.… little A listens way too good sometimes. Can you believe he managed to send them cards for their every birthday and every Christmas since we had to leave that area without us knowing? Yet what could I tell him, he was careful and clever enough not to give away any leads and they were the only friends he ever had. Adam said he wants to become a police man, Tom wants that too apparently. Promised each other to start college and academy together. All planned out already, little A explained. Boys just are boys, aren't they?_ By now Duncan already had realised the pictures all showed young Jensen but otherwise were significantly nondescript, not showing any landmarks or clues that would help to find out where they were taken, on purpose it seemed. The mentioning of being kept at a laboratory before didn’t get out of his mind either. _What a sneaky little bugger, Arthur said, being way too proud about this. Not surprising with what he does for a living, but, ah well, not the place to tell, and you want to know about little A, not big A._

 _He loves the bike, especially the red colour. How he laughed when he tried it out. It’s been so rare to see him so carefree. Thank you so much! Just look at him!_  
The teenaged boy riding a bike looks like a lot of children look at that age, though not used to deal with any children at all Mac couldn’t really say of what age the boy actually is, but indeed he looks carefree compared to a lot of the other photographs. 

_A new place again. I appreciate the concern and it's good there are people watching out, but this teacher of his, I think he thought we were abusing little A. Maybe he saw the old scars or the bruises from the self defence training with Arthur. He only wanted to help, but the risk of losing A to those people... No, had to move elsewhere again!_

_Sorry for the slow updates, had to move, twice in fact, was really close this time, they are still hunting for A.  
On occasion he still retreats into himself. With time and patience he comes back to us, but I get the feeling he doesn't tell me everything any longer, even if I ask. We tried to shield him from our worries, but I fear he's been far more observant than we give him credit for. Still, you simply can't burden a 13 year old child with all of this._

_Difficulties were expected, I know that, but sometimes I do feel like he is fading away. It's getting worse again. Thought about seeing a therapist, but the risk of being found by those people just is too great. I don't ever want him to be taken back to a place like that.  
Don't think he is still trying to get contact to others his age. While that might be better, with who knows how long we have this time and the other kids not really understanding him anyway, it's also not healthy. He’s becoming even more quiet among people. You should see what the teachers write, it's awful. And worrying.  
A pet maybe? But would that even work with how our life goes?_

_Another apartment, another town, another school. I think the new one bores him, doing stuff he already knows. Withdrawn as he is, it doesn't really get noticed much. While I'm glad he doesn't draw too much attention, I'm also worried.  
There is nothing wrong about blending into the background occasionally, but pretty much always? He is starting to do it at home too. I don't know what to do. That Arthur has started to teach him how to hide and remain unseen in crowds isn't helping either. It’s still a game to him and he needs to know this, in case we get separated, in case they get too close again, but it just doesn't feel right. He has a talent there too. Not sure if I should say fortunately or unfortunately.  
I'm really going to buy him a pet. A dog is a boy's best friend or how do they say?_

A teenager playing with a small dog in green grass.  
_May I introduce Maximus. What a silly name for such a small creature but little A was laughing so much at the idea (yes, actually laughing, still such a wonderful as rare sound) and the dog quickly barking every time the word was said so that's what's his name is now. It is heart warming to see the two of them outside._

_Had to be on the move a lot again. Hope we get some rest now, here in the nowhere. Arthur said it was perfect for the next stage of field training, but A still is so young. Yet we also still are on the run and with how close they had come again, he needs to know how to take care of himself. I'm glad though, he still doesn't like weapons. He is good with them, difficult not to be with Arthur and his friends teaching him, but I’m still glad he hasn't changed much from the little boy that couldn’t stand anyone getting hurt.  
I do wonder though if we are doing right by him, he is so sensitive underneath all that silence and quiet. Don't we make it all worse by teaching him what he needs to know to stay safe from those monsters in white coats? To be suspicious of others? Aren't we taking away what little of a happy childhood he might be able to have? _

_You can't imagine what a great gift the telescope was. I have to make sure he gets enough sleep now, by himself he would spend every clear night outside on top of the roof. He really likes heights, even more than big A.  
At least it's something getting him really excited. Though when he sits there so deeply immersed into space and star systems... well, better it is about stars, a hobby, than him just sinking into himself I guess. Still though, it feels like losing contact to him, especially with Maximus slowly getting old and sick. A doesn't cope well with that. _

_The yearly exams are over, one year of school left to go. I surely was losing more nerves than A.  
Sometimes I really envy his calm. He definitely got that from Arthur, not me. That unwavering confidence. If it is actually real though. It's getting harder to tell what he really is thinking there in his head, even worse when being around people, all the more valuable are the moments he still is open, like when he just turns around and smiles real smiles at me. How does he always know, when I'm watching him? It's almost like a sixth sense or is it an effect of Arthur's training?  
His grades are among the top 15 of his year, I'm so proud. Doesn't he look great like that? _  
The dark haired boy had grown quite a bit and did clean up well there, looking more like an athlete now than the lanky teenager from before, not overly muscled just really fit, though the weirdly serious expression still was in place. 

_A found an old picture from when Arthur was young, now he is trying to grow that beard. It's a bit thin and ridiculous still, but wait a bit and he will be a very handsome young man. Zero interest in girls so far though, nor in anyone else in fact. Polite and always helpful when being asked, but letting no one close. It’s safer of course and we taught him not to trust easily after all, but a life has to be lived too, no?_  
Duncan really couldn’t help an amused grin at that pitiful facial hair there, nowhere close to the neatly trimmed beard Jensen sported these days. 

Young adult Jensen.  
_He is getting so excited to meet Tom again, counting the days towards that entrance test. I just hope it doesn't hit him too hard when they don't turn up. But he won't hear any word against it. They will be there, he says, with so much conviction.  
He knew them only for a few months... they'll long have forgotten him. _

Jensen having one of his arms each around a young woman and young man. After reading the words on the back, Mac actually recognised the two kids from the birthday picture in them.  
_Have I become too cynic being on the run all these years or are they just really that special?  
It was almost unbelievable. As if the years apart never happened, they recognised each other in an instant, reconnected. Grinned at each other and bumped shoulders. Adam, who is avoiding to even shake hands with most people for a long time now, hugging another person, out of his own volition.  
And there is Tom, bridging that gap that is there with anyone else, just like that again. Tanya has come too, following her now boyfriend to the big city. Seems they were bound to become a couple.  
It's wonderful. He is so different around them, more open, more connected to the world around him, it’s like they somehow anchor him to the rest of us. I hope it remains this way for a long time. He looks so happy.  
It almost makes up for the fear of him being found. But he is of age now. We can't protect him forever and Arthur made sure he knows how to keep himself safe.  
Our little starlight has grown up, he's taller than Arthur in fact, but sneaky still, people easily overlook him, if he doesn't want to get noticed. They won't get him easily. _

There were a few more pictures, Jensen together with the young man and the woman in various environments, at sports, at home, at a beach, around other people. A wedding, Jensen as the best man, bidding the other two a farewell into their honeymoon.  
The two men apparently both had joined the police just as they had decided as boys. Pictures with them posing in rookie uniforms, then regular ones and later proudly flashing their detective badges. There were also copies of a few news articles too, the two apparently had been very successful investigators. The SWAT team Jensen had been part of and his friend Tom too as it turned out.  
There also seemed to have been sort of a family tradition. Christmas pictures taken every year. The three young adults together on a shabby couch at first. Then the couple with Jensen standing behind their chairs, over time first one baby, then a second added to their laps. Two boys.  
Jensen playing with the toddlers, even without kids of his own, Mac can very well imagine the mother fetching a camera at finding the cop fallen asleep in between toys, the boys snuggled into his chest. Another one shows Jensen and the young father each having a boy on their shoulders playing horse and rider at some park.  
Then there is another page, with another Christmas picture, the father suddenly missing from the family. Instead there is an empty chair and a picture frame adorned with a black ribbon. Grief so visible in all their faces, but especially in the wife’s and Jensen’s.  
_2026\. The year he was kicked out of the DPD, the year Mexicantown happened._  
Having sat opposite to the current Jensen for months now, the change happening there was pretty much back to something quite familiar to Duncan. Where before Jensen usually had been in the background but still present, if you could call it that, the stoic distance now became way more prominent. The grief lingering in those grey blue eyes though didn’t really go away. No more smiles or laughs on the pictures except for a few occasions when being with the small remaining family. Otherwise only that distant neutral stoicism Mac knew so well and often was so aggravated by.  
The last picture was the woman, visibly older, together with two late teenage boys sitting around a table, the seat in the middle was left free, a big chocolate cake waiting to be eaten, bearing a “Happy Birthday Adam” icing. 

Carefully Duncan made sure all loose pictures were stuck back between the pages inside the album and decided to take another look at the White Helix stuff. Except for two pictures that apparently were taken officially at some school somewhere, none of the other pictures turned up in the files. Instead they contained other photographs following Jensen growing up, often being taken from afar or pictures that had caught him more per coincidence than on purpose. From late teenage years until being an adult and joining the police, there are none. The timing correlating with those vague mentions about the ‘training’ the boy apparently got by his adopted father and those ‘friends’. _Training to hide and use weapons, to defend himself…_ , Duncan also began wonder about how much actual truth there was to what Interpol‘s background check had found about Jensen’s parents, _adoptive_ parents apparently. Arthur Jensen clearly had been more than just some backwoods town security guard for some small enterprise too.  
Heavily Duncan leant back against the bed frame, trying to make sense of all of this. 

Eventually he picked up the pocket secretary from the Juggernaut Collective again.  
_I’m glad you’re doing this, bratán. I know you still don’t trust us but we KNOW the TF is tied to our common enemy’s activities. Find out how and we’ll bring them down together. Just like we did with Belltower.  
Q_  
The TF tied to common enemies… bringing them down like Belltower… _Belltower_...  
Had Jensen really had a hand in that security company’s downfall?  
Duncan strained his memory for the details, it had started with that scandal, only a few days before the Incident. That scientist, what had been the name, Dr... Dr…, damn the name just wouldn’t come to him, but in the end it didn’t really matter. The woman being forced to work for Belltower essentially at gunpoint had revealed the illegal experiments conducted on abducted civilians from all over the world at that supposed trainings facility and undersea lab in the pacific ocean, Rifle-something, wait, _Riflemanbank station_ , yes, that was the place.  
Someone had stopped the illegal experiments on humans and helped her to escape. Someone posing as an Interpol agent, since no one in the agency had known anything about this. He also remembered the reports about what had been found there. It had been ugly, really ugly. The unknown operative had not only saved the scientist but also the remaining imprisoned test subjects. Duncan remembered reading about that gruesome clean up procedure that had been stopped there, nerve gas vented into the cells where the captives had been held, innocent civilians from all over the world, arrested by Belltower under false accusations.

Together with the Incident and the numerous augmented employees of Belltower running amok, that had been the beginning of their end. Officially at least.  
If the mess with the goldmasks had proved anything though, there were a lot of old BT assets still active, ones that never made appearance in the papers and thus hadn’t been part of the dismantling of the company.  
Given how easily Tarvos had been infiltrated in London, Mac couldn’t help suspecting there was more to that too. After all Tarvos had overtaken most of the official former assets of BT, if not all. Had they also taken over the dirty secrets? Black sites, black ops teams and such?  
What was the connection to Jensen though? Mac also had found out the agent had been somewhat involved in an operation against that weapons dealer, Sheppard, whom they had taken out in Dubai. Something back in Detroit, before Jensen had joined Interpol on recommendation of the local branch director there, Christian Jarreau. A man who quite enviously had congratulated Jim for Jensen’s acquisition to the Prague team. By now Mac also had found out, Belltower had listed Jensen as a highly wanted person in the weeks before the Incident, without actually accusing him of a crime though.  
And then of course there were Jim’s diaries...

In all those years Duncan had known his friend, Jim’s work ethics always had been truly professional with an unwavering respect for the chain of command. It already had been odd how much freedom to operate the late director had left Jensen with, especially as Jim too had voiced severe doubts about the agent put into their team back then. The diaries though had given another perspective. While not betraying specifics, the notice books had mentioned weird orders, Jim’s doubts of their superiors intentions growing over time. And some of it had been connected to Jensen, especially to that investigation of the Ruzicka bombing, Talos Rucker and the ARC.  
Jim had described a heated dispute with the agent, after the disaster that reconnaissance trip to GARM had turned into.  
_Second time he outright accused me of putting him at risk on purpose now. I know the man has severe trust issues, I even can understand them, given how that mess back in Detroit really went down. But still, telling me head on, I’m trying to get him killed, when he was the one to find that lead and insist on following it… The worst though is, his suspicions are not really unfounded either, given what happened in Switzerland. If he really has been awaited there, someone is sabotaging us, from the inside, and considering his other recent supposed cock up, if I believe him instead of Chikane, it wasn’t even the first time.  
He’s good at what he does, no denying that, it might look like a loose cannon at first but the more I see the more I believe, he does think carefully first, then acts. Takes very calculated risks, although calculated for those blasted augs he has. I have the stronf feeling that documentation what was built in him is not enough to understand what he really is capable of, if it is even complete in the first place. Closed off as he is that isn’t something I can just ask about though. He clearly doesn’t think like a soldier, actually avoids killing as much as possible contrary to what he could do with all those toys in his arsenal. Using damn unconventional methods too, though admittedly they do seem to work.  
If what little he told about what happened there this time is true, few others would have made it out of there alive nor gotten any intel out in addition and I’m damn sure he didn’t tell all that happened. Clearly doesn’t trust me enough.  
Can I believe him though? Can I trust him? There are just too many ifs here...  
My gut says yes, but there is all that crap on his file, all the information and evaluations… that damned disobedience, we get our orders for a reason after all! _

_Turns out he was right, again. Almost ironic he’s getting the best results when left to act as he sees fit. Really thought to have sent him to his death at that theatre during curfew, but no, he just shrugs and gets us all the intel we need, without anyone even noticing him. Or maybe for once, no one else has interfered and this just is how he actually works.  
Finally we are catching up to those bastards! _  
The last entry before leaving for London. 

Dating some weeks earlier there was another one that Mac can’t get out of his head.  
_Orders, almost my whole life I followed orders. Some good, some bad too, but never really doubted what my job was before. Not so sure anymore. Joined Interpol because there are laws, clear rules, clear sides, we are the good ones, the criminals and terrorists the bad. Those lines blur a lot lately. How can we be good if we turn blind eyes, if we don’t remain impartial and follow the evidence, but instead play politics?  
The desert ops was pretty much a disaster from the start, we were lucky to pull it off in the end. Lucky to have the Aug with us. Still don’t get why we were sent there and not the teams of the local branch. But this now? Getting told who we are to suspect, no matter how little sense that makes? I don’t have much choice than to follow, but it just feels wrong.  
Gave the case to who probably is our best trained investigator and at the same time biggest pain in the arse. No doubt though that he’ll follow the evidence where ever it leads him, no matter what I tell him. It’s a bit of a cheap way out, but then, our job is to stop those bastards and that’s what we’ll do. _  
Apparently Jim had used Jensen’s habit of disobeying their orders to circumvent directives from higher up. Directives that interfered with their work in a way they shouldn’t. Expecting the agent would rather solve the case properly than being a good little agent if it was either or? With that Ruzicka/ARC mess it had worked out well, but given this connection to the Collective, what was Jensen’s true agenda in all of this? Was TF29 actually really compromised?  
Mac wished Jim would have talked to him about this, although he also understood why he hadn’t. This was dangerous stuff, stuff people had been killed for...

Mac sighed darkly, of course instead of finally getting a few answers, this trip only had opened more questions and revealed even more damn mess.  
Without Jensen being there to confront about all of this, Duncan copied and took pictures from as much as he could, the Collective stuff, that data from White Helix, that report of the state of the world from this “F”.  
He’d try to gather some more independent information about all of this first and would watch the agent even more closely.  
Maybe then he’d know what to do next...

**Author's Note:**

> Usually when ever I replay the game, I'm taking the path that has Miller survive London. A few times though I didn't, and this might have happened after being back in Prague afterwards.


End file.
